Singapore Prize Winners Announced
The winners of this year’s singapore prize were announced on Tuesday. The award, which recognises scientists and engineers for their contributions to Singapore’s science and technology scene, is given every three years. This year, it went to a researcher who studied the effects of climate change on seagrass ecosystems. The other prize winners included two researchers who studied how to develop more effective treatments for diseases and a researcher who analysed the genetic basis of human behaviour.
The prize is the highest honour awarded to scientists and engineers in Singapore. Winners are recognised for their contributions to the nation and have the opportunity to join the President’s Science and Technology Awards, a prestigious group that has seen ten members of its ranks become Nobel laureates. The winner of the award also has the chance to pursue a PhD at any of six universities in Singapore.
It has been over a decade since the Singapore prize was established, but it is still an important way of rewarding scientific talent in the country. It is the largest prize given by the government and the most lucrative scholarship available to local scientists and engineers. It is also the only award that has a fixed amount of money that will never decrease over time.
One of the top prizes of this kind in the world, it is a huge honor for a scientist or engineer to win and receive it. The prize has gone to a number of notable people over the years, including scientists from companies like Google and Facebook.
In addition to the prize, the winners also get the chance to receive a large sum of money from the government of Singapore to help fund their studies at a university in the country. This is to encourage them to continue their research and work on innovative ideas for the betterment of Singapore.
The prize was first launched in 2009 and was originally called the Presidential Science and Technology Awards. In 2021, it was elevated to the status of a “national” prize in recognition of its importance to the nation. The prize is named after the late Christopher Bathurst KC, who was a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers and developed a substantial practice in Southeast Asia.
The inaugural prize was won by archaeologist John Miksic in 2018 for his book Singapore And the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800 which provides detailed archaeological evidence that shows that Singapore’s story began more than 700 years ago. The winner of the prize in 2021 was historian Hidayah Amin for her book Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam which traces the history of the kampong in the context of changes to the city-state’s economic, political and social history over 200 years. The first runner-up was Lynn Wong and Alex Tan for their book Reviving Qixi: Singapore’s Forgotten Seven Sisters Festival while Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage Of 20th Century Singapore by Loh Kah Seng, Alex Tan, Koh Keng We, Tan Teng Phee and Juria Toramae came in second place.